What is a key characteristic of combustion?

Combustion is a chemical reaction that primarily involves the rapid combination of a fuel with an oxidizer, typically oxygen from the air. This reaction releases energy in the form of heat and light. The requirement for fuel, oxygen, and a heat source is fundamental to the process of combustion. Without any one of these elements, combustion cannot occur.

Fuel provides the necessary material that burns, oxygen is essential for sustaining the chemical reaction, and the heat source initiates the combustion process by raising the temperature of the fuel to its ignition point. This triad is commonly referred to as the "fire triangle," which is a fundamental concept in fire science and firefighting tactics.

Understanding this characteristic helps fire fighters and individuals involved in fire safety to recognize how fires start and spread, and it informs strategies for extinguishing fires by eliminating one or more components of the fire triangle.